Community Education Centers, Inc.’s (CEC) The Harbor in Newark, New Jersey was recommended for American Correctional Association (ACA) Adult Community Residential Services (ACRS) reaccreditation after a two day audit with a perfect score. CEC operates seventeen community-based reentry programs with ACRS accreditation all of which have scored 100% on all mandatory and non-mandatory standards, a record that is unprecedented in the industry.

“The Harbor is CEC’s first residential reentry center and has provided quality services to offender populations for over fifteen years. I would like to thank the facility and accreditation staff for their hard work,” said Dr. Robert Mackey, Senior Vice President at CEC.

In 1994, The Harbor opened as Community Education Centers, Inc’s first residential reentry facility and began receiving its first resident referrals from the New Jersey Department of Corrections.  The Harbor’s original located was in Hoboken, New Jersey and in 2009 moved to Newark, New Jersey which provided residents and staff with enhancements in safety and security.

The 148-bed Harbor is located on a CEC’s campus in the Frelinghuysen Avenue area of Newark, NJ. The building hosts offices, day rooms, dormitories, laundry facilities and group/lecture areas. The Harbor’s primary focus is to assist residents to make a successful reentry back to their families and communities.  Residents participate daily in a fully structured treatment environment receiving lectures, group and individual counseling. Services include GED preparation, adult basic education, life skills, anger management, relapse prevention, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, twelve step education, family groups and job skills.

The ACA accreditation program is a professional peer review process based on national standards that have evolved since the founding of the Association in 1870. The standards were developed by national leaders from the field of corrections, law, architecture, health care, and other groups who are interested in sound correctional management.

ACA standards address services, programs, and operations essential to effective correctional management. Through accreditation, an agency is able to maintain a balance between protecting the public and providing an environment that safeguards the life, health, and safety of staff and offenders. Standards set by ACA reflect practical up-to-date policies and procedures and function as a management tool for agencies and facilities throughout the world.

Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is the largest provider of offender reentry and in-prison treatment services in America, operating in 19 states and the Commonwealth of Bermuda, with nearly 30,000 individuals in our daily care. CEC provides a full range of therapeutic residential and non-residential reentry services with a documented record of reducing recidivism. The company specializes in the reentry process and has developed the most effective reentry treatment model in the nation. CEC contracts with local, county, state, and federal government agencies, as well as non-profit agencies. Also a strategic focus of the company, CEC’s Secure Facilities Division provides jail/detention management services at 17 facilities in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio.